Madeo Mighty Tough in Inglewood Lineup

John Shirreffs' 4-year-old gets a little more ground for his late-running style.

Madeo, coming off a third-place finish as the favorite in the Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita, is the 119-pound top weight in the $100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Hollywood Park lawn April 26.

Mike Smith rides the John Shirreffs-trained Madeo in the 1 1/16-mile test. Eight others are entered.

The late-running Madeo earned the favorite’s role in the one-mile Arcadia after scoring an allowance win at Santa Anita at in March. A winner of four of 12 starts, the 4-year-old son of Mizzen Mast is two-for-six races on turf.

Among his opponents is Mr Napper Tandy, who came within three-quarters a length of posting a major upset in the Arcadia while edging Madeo by a neck for the runner-up spot.

Mr Napper Tandy, a 5-year-old Great Britain-bred owned by La Canada Stables and trained by Jack Carava, is also entered in the April 25 San Francisco Mile (gr. IIT) at Golden Gate Fields.

Mr Napper Tandy rallied from the back of the pack and was gaining on the victorious Dixie Chatter in the Arcadia. The chestnut is fond of finishing second. That's where he has been in 11 of his 22 lifetime starts.

U S Ranger was shipped to the U.S. for the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) and finished fifth, beaten four lengths by Goldikova. Now trained by Neil Drysdale, the 5-year-old was sixth in the Joe Hernandez in his lone 2009 start to date. Garrett Gomez takes the mount.

Worldly won the Will Rogers and Cinema Handicap (gr. IIIT) on Hollywood's turf course two years ago. A winner of five of 13 starts, he will be making his first start since September.

Awesome Gem is the richest horse in the field with earnings of $1.2 million, but the 6-year-old has not won in six turf starts. He will be making his first start since finishing 12th in the Hong Kong Mile (HK-I) in December.

Becrux, an Italian-bred 7-year-old, won the Woodbine Mile (Can-I) in 2006. A winner of 10 of 35 starts, he was seventh most recently in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (gr. IT) at Santa Anita.

the speedy Argentina-bred Storm Military has been off since finishing eighth in the Del Mar Mile (gr. IIT) in August. He has won six of 15 starts on turf and eight of 19 overall.

Medjool will be testing turf for the first time. Silent Soul beat Mr. Napper Tandy in mid-February on the main track at Santa Anita.